BELFAST, UK: Great Britain’s Adam Gemili continued his preparations for the championship part of his season by topping the men’s 200 meters at the Belfast International meeting on Thursday.
Competing in his first half-lap this season, Gemili, who focused mostly on running the 100m this season, crossed the finish line in 20.63 seconds (-0.2m/s wind) to record the victory.
The 25-year-old is coming off two encouraging performances of 10.07 secs and 10.04 secs at the Müller Anniversary Games in London, last month and he is still hoping to represent Great Britain in an open event at the World Championships in Doha, later this year.
Gemili, who has won four European gold medals and missed out on an Olympic bronze in the 200m in Rio, owns personal best of 19.97 from 2016.
He defeated Ireland champion and Commonwealth Games bronze medal winner Leon Reid, who ran 20.89 for second place, while Briton’s Tommy Ramdhan was further back in 21.01.
“I was chasing Adam down towards the end but it was too late at that stage,” said Reid.
“I’m still just coming from a massive training block so it’s about sharpening up.”
On the women’s side, Britain’s 2014 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Brianca Williams took the 200m with a time of 23.70 (-0.2m/s wind).
Melissa Roberts (24.41) and Chloe Lambert (24.42) completed a Great Britain clean sweep of the podium places.
Meanwhile, Jamaican Michael O’Hara was given the nod in the men’s 110m hurdles after posting the same time of 13.81 (-1.6) as former British champion David King.
Elsewhere, Alisha Rees of Great Britain won the women’s 100m title in 11.57 secs, while Ireland’s Ciara Mageean was first in the women’s 800m in a meet record of 2:02.40.
“It’s always brilliant to come to Belfast to run,” said Mageean, who also paced the first mile of the 3,000m afterwards.
“I feel like there are faster times there and you do wonder but I was going out there to race.”
Dutch Jip Vastenburg won the women 3,000m in 9:04.82.
Samuel Gordon (GBR) took the men’s 100m in 10.37 (-0.6), while Irish number one Sarah Lavin finished on top in the women’s 100m hurdles with a time of 13.44 and countrywoman Sommer Lecky won the women’s high jump with a clearance of 1.80m.
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